Members of the Chinese community are outraged tonight after one of their countrymen was shot during a robbery attempt in Dangriga Town on Saturday night. The victim is 32-year-old Xue Ming Lou who was shot in his face by an armed robber on Saturday night. Ming, as he is called, survived the attack but only barely and tonight he remains in a coma at a private hospital.
The story from police is that around 8:50, Ming was closing his store, Ming's Supermarket, on Penn Road in Dangriga when a dark skinned man wearing a mask entered and simply opened fire. One of the shots caught Ming in his eye. At the time, Ming was holding his four-month-old daughter. Police say they arrived shortly after and pursued the fleeing suspect. They didn't have much luck there as he outran them and escaped into a nearby swamp. Ming meanwhile was transported to the Southern Regional Hospital and later transported via a BATSUB helicopter to the Medical Associates Hospital.
Wellington Chee is a spokesman for the family and he says Ming is in an induced a coma. He told us the Chinese community has been deeply shaken by the ruthless nature of the attack.
Wellington Chee, Family Spokesman
"He is basically stable but very cirtical because the buillet went in from between the nose and the right eye and the path was left."
Keith Swift,
The bullet is still in his head?
Wellington Chee,
"It is still lodged in there, there are fragments in there. My understanding from the doctors is that that is not the critical part, the critical part is the trauma that he sustained to the left side of his brain. They had to stop the swelling, they had to contain the bleeding from there."
Keith Swift,
So he remains in that condition tonight.
Wellington Chee,
"He is in basically a induced coma, they want hoim to remain in that induced coma so that his brain is not stressed and going through trauma."
Keith Swift,
Tell us the reward the Chinese community is offering.
Wellington Chee,
"I was actually approached by Mr. Lee Mark from the Chinese Association and he told me that the Chinese Association is giving out a reward of $10,000 for anyone giving information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the culprits that were responsible for this senseless crime."
Keith Swift,
How angry does it make you that he was shot while he was carrying his four month old daughter?
Wellington Chee,
"It's not angry, its just shocking that someone can be so heartless. Its just, its shocking that someone would go to that extreme and don't care; ruthless. The community is inn shock, this is barely two weeks. We just lost one of our members."
Keith Swift,
How frustrating is it that these assailants seem to murder first and then rob.
Wellington Chee,
"I can't comment and say what it is but it is just a senseless crime. They are just so vicious, heartless, that they come in shooting and they don't care what the consequences are. It is not like in the past when they would just rob you and move on. It has become where they come in shooting first and they don't care what is going on.
I really don't think there is anything we can do. We can only try and follow the law and try to close on time and depend on the police department to try and assist and to protect us."
Again the Chinese community is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the robber who shot Ming. All tips should be forwarded to the Police Department. Ming has lived in Belize for 9 years. He was pistol whipped during a robbery a few years ago. Both his wife and his four month old son, his only child, were in the store with him at the time of the robbery.
